28 February 2008

Tiny village sues big oil and power companies over global warming

A tiny Alaska village eroding into the Arctic Ocean sued two dozen oil, power and coal companies Tuesday, claiming that the large amounts of greenhouse gases they emit contribute to global warming that threatens the community’s existence.

The city of Kivalina and a federally recognized tribe, the Alaska Native Village of Kivalina, sued Exxon Mobil Corp. and BP PL C, seven other oil companies, 14 power companies and one coal company in a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco.

Kivalina is a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village of about 390 people about 625 miles northwest of Anchorage. It’s built on an 8-mile barrier reef.

Sea ice traditionally protected the community. But sea ice that forms later and melts sooner because of higher temperatures has left the community unprotected from fall and winter storm waves and surges.

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About this Blog

Currently our society and civilisation is informed by stories of scarcity and greed, of insecurity and of either a science that doesn't recognize spirit, or a religion that is run by dogma and that doesn't accept the individual experiences of each person.

A prosperous, secure and sustainable future needs different stories. I am wondering how we can re-tell the stories of who we are and what is important in life. I'd like to question our old stories and help inspire cultural change for a sustainable future.